Rom
4:13-15 (NIV) It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received
the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness
that comes by faith. 14 For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no
value and the promise is worthless, 15 because law brings wrath. And where
there is no law there is no transgression.
NOTE: Abraham was
declared righteous long before he was circumcised and more than 400 years
before the law was given. It was with
Abraham that God established the Abrahamic covenant which guaranteed that out
of Abraham's seed, the entire world would be blessed. Abraham was also declared righteous, not on
the basis of anything he did, but on the basis of faith. He believed in God and so God declares him
righteous. And as a result Abraham
becomes a symbol for all people of how one gains righteousness before God--it
is based only upon one's faith. There
still remains the issue of justice, the payment for sins, but Jesus would later
satisfy God's judgment against sin by taking all of mankind's sin upon himself
at the cross.
There is a tendency
in man to believe he has to earn something to claim it. And most of the time, that is a right way to
feel. But when it comes to salvation and
righteousness before God, it is not possible to earn it. And the desire to earn it becomes the very
barrier to achieving it. To receive
righteousness, we must come to God humbly and admit that there is nothing we
can ever do to merit his favor to counteract the sins we have done. The only answer is to humbly accept the free
gift offered in faith, believing that God did all the work necessary for our salvation. Oh how freeing, to be completely accepted and
never to worry about where we stand.
Thank you God!
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